North Bay Business Journal

Unemployment rates across the North Coast continued to fall, with every county improving its jobless rate over both the last month and over the year, according to figures released by the Economic Development Department.

NORTH BAY – The U.S. Department of Commerce gave final approval to an application submitted by the Port of San Francisco last October to expand its Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 3 service area to include portions of Sonoma and Napa Counties, in addition to Contra Costa, Marin and Solano counties.The former service area was limited to San Francisco and San Mateo counties.

March 15, 2013: The Engine is Red held their 4-Year Anniversary Party at their offices at 840 Fifth St. in Santa Rosa

The Business Journal will present its 2013 Construction Conference, titled “North Bay Construction is Coming Back,” on Wednesday, May 15, at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park.

Feb. 27, 2013: “Game Changers” was the theme for the North Bay Business Journal and Sonoma State University’s annual Economic Outlook Conference held in Weill Hall at the Green Music Center.

Jan. 26, 2013: The Northern California Egineering Contractors Association (ECA) held its 36th Annual Installation & Awards Dinner on January 26 at the Fountaingrove Inn.

Three North Bay hospitals received “A” grades for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, considered the industry standard for hospital surveys. Kaiser Permanente hospitals in San Rafael and Santa Rosa and St. Joseph Health-operated Petaluma Valley Hospital each received the ranking from the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. …

Sound Physicians, a Tacoma-based hospitalist organization, announced an agreement to provide comprehensive hospitalist services at Sonoma Valley Hospital. …

Operation Access, a nonprofit whose mission is to mobilize a network of medical volunteers, hospitals and community health centers to provide access to surgeons for low-income and uninsured people, recently held its celebration of volunteers at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. …

Partnership Health Plan of California recently honored the Petaluma Health Center for achieving 100 percent of the nonprofit, managed Medi-Cal health plans’ goals. …

Sutter Health announced the appointment of Stephen Nolte as chief executive officer of Sutter’s recently announced health plan, which is currently in development in Sacramento. …

St. Helena Hospital recently raised $1.5 million at its annual foundation gala held at Silver Oak Cellars in Oakville. …

State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, plans to introduce legislation that would expand the powers of nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other health care workers as a means to address a shortage of primary care physicians, a problem that experts have long warned will be exacerbated by health care reform. …

Western Health Advantage formally filed plans with the state to be a part of Covered California, the state’s online health exchange that will go live in 2014 as part of the federal health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act. …

On the federal level, the Obama Administration last week issued a host of new rules and details on how insurers can structure benefits and premiums beginning in 2014. …

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company announced the appointment of Travis Bethune to the position of vice president, distribution management and services leader. …

Unemployment rates for North Bay counties were largely unchanged in October from the month before, but Sonoma County continued to lead all of California in job growth, helping the entire North Bay grow by 2.5 percent from the previous October, according to state figures released this morning.

VALLEJO — Blu Homes, a manufacturer of prefabricated and sustainability-focused homes and structures from its plant in Vallejo, today announced that it acquired the intellectual assets of San Francisco-based Modern Cabana.

Oct. 12, 2012: To thank the dedicated volunteers, the Council on Aging hosted a Shrimp Boil at Shone Farms in Forestville.

NORTH BAY — While many North Bay small businesses continue to grapple with the lingering challenges that emerged during the worst part of the recession, regional experts agree that key strategies have helped some companies to position themselves more strongly in a changed business landscape.

July 13, 2012: The Engineering Contractors Association held its `18th annual Golf Tournament at Windsor Golf Course

July 17, 2012: The Concierge Association Napa Valley and Sonoma (CANVAS) held its Hospitality Trade Fair at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena

The Business Journal presents Impact Solano Conference, Wednesday, September 26 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield. Registration deadline is Sept. 21, 2012.

NORTH BAY — Unemployment rates across the North Bay either dropped slightly or remained the same in July from the month before, as most counties saw yearly job growth in a number of industries, according to figures from the state Economic Development Department.

To explore the issues affecting the various industries in Solano County, the North Bay Business Journal will hold its annual conference, Impact Solano, on Sept. 26.

Though the goals of AB32 are ambitious, the Air Resources Board’s programs to meet those goals will cause significant damage to California’s economy, according to a study done for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association.

May 23, 2012: Santa Rosa Young Professionals Network, a division of the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, held its Professional Development Day at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa

April 29, 2012: The Sonoma County Museum held their Russian-themed Spring Gala Fundraiser at Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa. The Museum raiserd $98,000 toward its exhibition and education programs.